This week’s Conversation That Matters features Scott Sampson, PhD of Science World on the role of science in our lives, our economy and the opportunity BC has to be a global leader in research and development. Sampson points out, “we use science everyday for everything, it’s all around us, whether it's understanding the atmosphere or the iPhones in our pockets or the medical care we receive or the cars we drive or whatever it is. It's all based on science, but not many people think about that. They just sort of go through their lives using the things that are around them, not really realizing that there's a series of basic research, which then moves to technology which then moves to the marketplace.”

Sampson’s biggest concern is we’ve literally driven children’s sense of wonder away - wonder that is needed if we’re going to cultivate the scientists of the future. Sampson says there are three components of modern life that are inhibiting children from asking how everything works, “there's the fear factor, there's the over scheduling factor, we schedule kids to the nth degree. They don't have time for free play, and there's the tech factor and I think that we rob kids, especially young kids, of their childhood by not letting them have that free unstructured playtime.”

Conversations That Matter is a partner program with the Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University. Join veteran Broadcaster Stuart McNish each week for these important and engaging Conversations shaping our future.